From Portage Online
By Jared Thiessen
Hockey seasons are coming to a close across North America, and athletes from Portage la Prairie are getting ready for playoffs.
Portager Joey Moffatt has had quite the season so far with Minot State University, including a First-Team All-Star nod for his conference, as well as being named Conference MVP. He shares that after a less productive year, he’s enjoying the stronger year.
“Obviously, it felt pretty good, I had a pretty good year my freshman year, and bit of a down year my sophomore year. So, being able to get on the ice and produce this year felt pretty good. And obviously for our team, getting the number one ranked going into nationals next week, it’s a pretty big deal. So hopefully we can pull that off.”
He adds that successful seasons are the expectation from their coaching staff.
“That’s kind of what our coach tells us when we come in, we’re expected to win, and you know, we’re expected to get one of those top four seeds at Nationals, get that bye for the first game. And you know, I think our group of guys, we had an older group. We only lost three guys last year, so being able to bring that many guys back is pretty good for us this year.”
Joining him on the squad are several former teammates in Portage, along with opponents and teammates from other stops from his junior hockey career. Teammates Sheldin Howard, Reece Henry, Jay Bucholz, Austin Clyne, and Slade Stanick all spent time in Portage with the Terriers, and Moffatt adds that it’s not just those guys that he’s familiar with.
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. You know, pretty much every guy that, whether you’re a freshman or senior, you know, you either know of them, you played against them, or you know somebody that knows them. So, guys get pretty close pretty quickly. And you know, makes it easier to have success on the ice when you’re feeling comfortable with everybody in that room.”
Moffatt and his teammates are now preparing for another chance at the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) National Tournament, which will begin on Thursday, March 14. The Beavers will get a bye in the first round of action, but will play their first game on Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m.
(Originally published at https://portageonline.com/articles/joey-moffatt-making-the-most-of-junior-year-at-minot-state)
